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Iraq

September 20, 2026

Baghdad 9:48 am

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Explainer

From Maysan to Saudi Arabia, drone attack puts Iraqi province under scrutiny

Officials have been removed but worsening problems need to be addressed in militia stronghold bordering Iran, local residents and observers say.

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

After gun found in lake, French police probe link to 2012 Iraqi family murder

A recently discovered Luger pistol may have been used in the mysterious 2012 killing of the al-Hilli family near the Alpine town of Chevaline in eastern France.

AFP via Getty Images

Iraq sentences kidnapper of US journalist Shelly Kittleson to 15 years: What to know

The first sentencing in relation to Shelly Kittleson’s abduction comes as Iraq moves to rein in Iran-backed militias.

Latest News

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

Iraq summons Iran envoy over 'Persian Gulf' post, Baghdad name origins: What to know

Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

Winthrop Rodgers

In Sulaymaniyah, reporting on Kurdish issues

Will Iraqi Kurdistan government be able to solve PKK issue?

Despite their deep rivalry, both the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) emphasize the importance of dealing with their longstanding conflicts peacefully.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi attends the election campaign, along with his supporters in Kirkuk, Iraq April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC1866072A60

Former Iraqi premier opens up about PMU, new PM, Iran

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi explained that his faction's opposition to the current government is a matter of personal responsibility and that any criticism is meant to be constructive.

TOPSHOT - A fighter of the Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization units) flashes the victory gesture while carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher during the advance through the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, after the Iraqi government announced the launch of the operation to retake it from Islamic State (IS) group control, on August 26, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

As US pressure increases on Iran-backed militias, they turn to Iran

Iran-backed PMU factions are under intense pressure from the Iraqi government and the public, leading them to Iran.

An Iraqi woman arrives to cast her vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election in the Sadr city district of Baghdad, Iraq May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC18D4CCE020

Amendments to Iraqi provincial elections law spark controversy

Large political blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for a new law organizing provincial elections for 2020 that gives the blocs an advantage over smaller groupings.

Oil, budgets, Kirkuk still nag Baghdad-Erbil relations

Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan representatives have held a series of high-level meetings to try to resolve their longstanding issues, but so far without much apparent success.

US sanctions on a Christian militiaman reignite conflict among Iraqi Christians

As the United States imposes sanctions on a Christian militiaman, conflict among Iraqi Christians flares up.

More victims of Saddam's purge found, Kurds seek justice

The recent discovery of additional mass graves of Iraqi Kurds is prompting renewed calls for collaborators with the former Iraqi regime to be prosecuted.

Basra church restored, but few Christians left to worship there

Basra's Virgin Mary Chaldean Church has reopened after a $228,000 renovation, but the Christians still in the city are dwindling.

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi units stand guard during a campaign gathering for the Fateh Alliance, a coalition of Iranian-supported militia groups, in Baghdad on May 7, 2018, ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections to be held on May 12. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraq’s ever-increasing enforced disappearances

The number of forcibly disappeared persons in Iraq remains significant, amid no serious measures from the Iraqi government to address the issue.

Division threatens Islamic Dawa after Maliki’s reelection

The Islamic Dawa Party could on the verge of division after the reelection of Nouri al Maliki as its secretary-general; however, many party leaders see the party as continuing to be a strong and unified one.

Israeli Air Force F-35 flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 26, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC1B826A4350

Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East

Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests.

Israel's Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz arrives ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem September 12, 2018. Thomas Coex/Pool via Reuters - RC12A230DEA0

Is positive sentiment toward Israel on the rise in Iraq?

After an Iraqi ambassador made seemingly friendly comments about Israel, Iraqi politicians have made it known that Iraq will not stand for normalization.